This page contains [[Quenya]] translations made by [[User:Tar-Telperien|Tar-Telperien]]. The Quenya language, as are most of the things being translated, is of course [[Tolkien]]'s, but the inspiration here is mine. Please ask for permission if by some remote chance you find this stuff interesting and wish to use it.

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This page contains [[Neo-Quenya]] translations made by [[User:Tar-Telperien|Tar-Telperien]]. The [[Quenya]] language (which Neo-Quenya is based upon) is of course [[Tolkien]]'s, as are most of the things here being translated, but the exact wording is mine. Please ask for permission if by some remote chance you find this stuff interesting and wish to use it.

==Et Quenta Atalantëo: From the ''Akallabêth''==

==Et Quenta Atalantëo: From the ''Akallabêth''==

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===Translator's Notes===

===Translator's Notes===

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While I find the ''Akallabêth'' as a whole significant and interesting, one of its most poignant sections is a passage in which the [[messengers of the Valar]] speak to the [[Númenóreans]] about the "[[Gift of Men|Doom of Men]]". The conversation moves between the messengers, the King, and the Númenórean people, showing the messengers' attempt to explain why [[Men]] cannot go to the [[West]] and warning them to take their unrest seriously, the annoyance of the King as he points out that the forbidden West is precisely where his own [[Eärendil the Mariner|forefather]] still lives, and the frustration of the Númenóreans as a whole with the fate that [[Ilúvatar]] has given to them. It is this section, and the part of the story leading directly up to it, that I decided to translate into Quenya, both for personal amusement and as an investigation of the dynamics of discourse in [[High Elves|High Elven]].

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While I find the ''Akallabêth'' as a whole significant and interesting, one of its most poignant sections is a passage in which the [[messengers of the Valar]] speak to the [[Númenóreans]] about the "[[Gift of Men|Doom of Men]]". The conversation moves between the messengers, the King, and the Númenórean people, showing the messengers' attempt to explain why [[Men]] cannot go to the [[West]] and warning them to take their unrest seriously, the annoyance of the King as he points out that the forbidden West is precisely where his own [[Eärendil the Mariner|forefather]] still lives, and the frustration of the Númenóreans as a whole with the fate that [[Ilúvatar]] has given to them. It is this section, and the part of the story leading directly up to it, that I decided to translate into Neo-Quenya, both for personal amusement and as an investigation of the dynamics of discourse in [[High Elves|High Elven]].

Quenya was not actually spoken in [[Númenor]] in general, but many names of people (especially royalty) and places were given in it, and for a long time it was considered the "most noble tongue in the world" by the Númenóreans. People such as the [[King of Númenor|King]], who speaks in this passage, would thus be well versed in Quenya, even if they did not use it in everyday speech. And because this converse involves messengers from the West, where Quenya in fact was the main language, it is entirely possible that the original conversation took place in this tongue, considering the high matters being discussed.

Quenya was not actually spoken in [[Númenor]] in general, but many names of people (especially royalty) and places were given in it, and for a long time it was considered the "most noble tongue in the world" by the Númenóreans. People such as the [[King of Númenor|King]], who speaks in this passage, would thus be well versed in Quenya, even if they did not use it in everyday speech. And because this converse involves messengers from the West, where Quenya in fact was the main language, it is entirely possible that the original conversation took place in this tongue, considering the high matters being discussed.

Revision as of 08:56, 23 December 2007

This page contains Neo-Quenya translations made by Tar-Telperien. The Quenya language (which Neo-Quenya is based upon) is of course Tolkien's, as are most of the things here being translated, but the exact wording is mine. Please ask for permission if by some remote chance you find this stuff interesting and wish to use it.

Et Quenta Atalantëo: From the Akallabêth

This translation was made around Christmas of 2007. It is of a section of the Akallabêth that is about two pages in length. The title that I use for it, "Et Quenta Atalantëo", means "From the Account of the Downfall". Akallabêth as directly translated into Quenya would simply be Atalantë, but since this term is also used as a name for the island after its sinking, I add the word quenta, 'account', here to avoid ambiguity. I also use the preposition et, 'from', instead of the ablative case (i.e. Atalantello), since the "last declinable word" in this phrase is already marked for genitive (Atalantëo, 'of (the) Downfall').

Translator's Notes

While I find the Akallabêth as a whole significant and interesting, one of its most poignant sections is a passage in which the messengers of the Valar speak to the Númenóreans about the "Doom of Men". The conversation moves between the messengers, the King, and the Númenórean people, showing the messengers' attempt to explain why Men cannot go to the West and warning them to take their unrest seriously, the annoyance of the King as he points out that the forbidden West is precisely where his own forefather still lives, and the frustration of the Númenóreans as a whole with the fate that Ilúvatar has given to them. It is this section, and the part of the story leading directly up to it, that I decided to translate into Neo-Quenya, both for personal amusement and as an investigation of the dynamics of discourse in High Elven.

Quenya was not actually spoken in Númenor in general, but many names of people (especially royalty) and places were given in it, and for a long time it was considered the "most noble tongue in the world" by the Númenóreans. People such as the King, who speaks in this passage, would thus be well versed in Quenya, even if they did not use it in everyday speech. And because this converse involves messengers from the West, where Quenya in fact was the main language, it is entirely possible that the original conversation took place in this tongue, considering the high matters being discussed.

We are also told that Quenya was used in "recondite works of lore". In order for a conversation such as this, which took place about 1,000 years before the Downfall, to be saved so that Elendil could write it into the Akallabêth much later, it would have had to have been recorded word for word. If, as I have argued above, the original discussion took place in Quenya, it would almost certainly have been transcribed in that language, and even if not, a Quenya translation might well have been made later.

If this was the case, this conversation's lack of effect upon future generations is explained—the Númenóreans stopped teaching their children the Elven-tongues in the days of Tar-Ancalimon, due to the hardened feelings of the Númenóreans toward the West that the pleading of the messengers sadly failed to heal. The Kings and their followers abandoned the Elven languages in favor of their own tongue, Adûnaic. Indeed as time went on, the Kings began to destroy books that had been written in Quenya and Sindarin because of their increasing hatred of the Elves.

Ultimately, the discussion must have been saved in some form (perhaps an Adûnaic version) so that it could come to Elendil. But it seems that no matter what language the conversation was originally spoken and recorded in, its central message would not be absorbed by the Númenóreans, most of whom refused to change their ways. Regarding this subject, Tolkien wrote, "Indeed if fish had Fish-lore and Wise-fish it is probable that the business of anglers would be very little hindered". But the failure of the messengers should perhaps not be blamed on the Númenóreans alone. This discussion closely mirrors another conversation, the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, in subject matter. But while Finrod and Andreth actually make some degree of progress in their debate, this is mostly due to Finrod's openness, honesty, and desire for understanding of Men and their griefs. It appears from the conversation as preserved that the messengers in the Age after him do not have his finesse and warmth, nor do they make light of the common ground between Elves and Men. Despite Manwë's care for Númenor and his best efforts to advise its people, it is perhaps not surprising that the King was "ill-pleased with the counsel of the Messengers and gave little heed to it", and that this "second Athrabeth" proved in the end to be a failure.